Naruto: The Tale of a Hero
by IrsCID
Summary: This is a story about Naruto and how his life will change drastically when he is adopted by Jiraiya. And is also looked over by Anko. Not sure if she will play mother-figure or girlfriend. But I will leave some choosing for readers. choice between Ayame, Hinata, or Anko. This story is going to be a long one and well updated... and did I say Epic?
1. Chapter 1

Quick Note: Guys this is my very first story! I love criticism just not too harsh please. I just graduated college with a degree in Accounting and Finance... not Writing or English. I am writing because I love reading all the fanfictions and decided to test my own imagination. I have some great ideas where I want this to go guys. I will try my best to update fast. I really hope you enjoy this! Time for the literature!

* * *

Naruto: The Tale of a Hero

Fanfiction By Jonathan M.

*Note I do not own anything related to Naruto*

Chapter 1

* * *

A man with a long mane of white hair is looking at a photo of a man with blonde hair and next to a woman that is pregnant. A tear rolls down the sennin's cheek as he stares at the picture. Jiraiya has been waiting in the Hokage's tower for about 10 minutes; waiting for the Anbu he sent to retrieve the Hokage from his living quarters. As he hears footsteps climbing the stairs of the tower he wipes the tears from his eyes and prepares himself from the lecture he was about to receive for waking up the Third at this late hour. But as the door opened the sennin noticed not anger in the face of the Hokage but…sympathy.

The Third Hokage was nicknamed "the Professor" for his sheer ability to make deductions as well as many other reasons. As the Third Hokage walked into the room he noticed many things: Jiraiya's eyes were red and cheeks were puffy, Jiraiya didn't hold the happy look the sensei had always known from his pupil, and finally out of the corner of his eye; he saw Jiraiya carefully put a picture back into his pocket. With a sigh that showed nothing more than deep remorse for the sennin: the Hokage began to talk "…Jiraiya it has been 3 years since Minato's sacrifice for the village. … But for what it's worth, I understand the pain that you have. I also understand that no matter how you try, you will never be able to totally erase the pain you hold for losing him. But ask yourself this: Would Minato want you to live 3 years blaming yourself for his sacrifice for the nation and people he held as precious in his heart?"

"Sensei I know that you are trying to cheer me up but the fact still remains that I had the chance to become Hokage but I instead handed it down to my pupil. That in-turn led to the demise of Minato because he believed that as Hokage, he had to protect these people no matter what!" Jiraiya becoming more and more emotional through each word he spoke.

"Jiraiya, Minato took the position of Hokage because he loves these people and this nation and if you asked him if he'd sacrifice himself even if he wasn't Hokage; I have no doubt in my mind that he would say yes." The Hokage spoke in a calm demeanor that would show anyone that he was speaking from his heart and that he just wanted to help Jiraiya.

Silence filled the room as Jiraiya let newly formed tears fall to the ground. The Hokage walked up to Jiraiya and gave him a hug, though it was a bit awkward with the size difference (Jiraiya being 1 foot taller than the Hokage). After a short time the Hokage (Hiruzen) clapped Jiraiya on the back and separated himself from Jiraiya and looked into his eyes. "Jiraiya when you left after the funeral for Minato and Kushina, I thought I would never see you again… Why have you returned to the Leaf Village?" Hiruzen said seriously but then decided to lighten the mood by quickly adding with a raised eyebrow "You haven't come to visit the hot springs write more novels, have you?"

"No Sensei, those books are temporarily on hold because I have much more important business to attend to." As Jiraiya said this he noticed a look of slight sadness on the Hokage's face (because Hiruzen collected and very much enjoyed the naughty novels his pupil wrote). Jiraiya set down his backpack, opened it up, and began to search through it. He immediately found what he was looking for, smiled, and threw it over to his Sensei. "That's just a draft of the latest volume; maybe you can give me your thoughts on it." Hiruzen caught the book, blushed, and was about to deny wanting the book when Jiraiya quickly intervened. "As for why I'm here… I'm here to talk about the boy." Jiraiya looked up to Hiruzen seriously as Hiruzen nodded, put the book away, and grabbed his pipe.

"The last time we talked about the boy… was at the funeral and that turned into a heated debate, where you ended it by leaving the Leaf Village" Hiruzen said sadly, remembering that day as though it were yesterday. Hiruzen truly believed that Naruto was going to be able to live a somewhat normal life, with a father-figure like Jiraiya. Both Hiruzen and Minato decided that no one (including Naruto) should know about Naruto being Minato's son until he was at least a chunin and decided to tell those that he wished to tell. It was well known that Kushina was the mother of Naruto, seen as though Naruto kept her last name. Hiruzen knew that if Naruto did become an orphan and they knew he was the son of Minato, he would have been treated better by villagers; mainly because they wanted to be a part of his clan or wanted the estate (through marriage of their daughters or adoption). This was not an option though.

Instead Hiruzen believed that if Naruto became the adopted son of a Sennin; he may get to live a normal life where people wouldn't treat him poorly. There would be few who would be mean to the son of a powerful and well known hero like Jiraiya.

Jiraiya looked away from his sensei, ashamed of himself and what had transpired that day. "I've change you know… Sensei I'm sorry it took me 3 years to realize this but… You were right; the boy does need me there for him as he grows into a great shinobi." Jiraiya turned back toward Hiruzen as he felt more pride as he talked about Naruto.

Hiruzen noticed the look in Jiraiya's face and decided to test Jiraiya's new resolve. "And if I were to tell you that Naruto already has a caring family that he has grown very much attached to?"

"Please Sensei, I'm Naruto's Godfather. I am the reason his name is what it is." Jiraiya pleaded with the Hokage.

"That book…" Hiruzen remembered the look on Jiraiya's face as he talked about Naruto becoming a great shinobi, the look of pride. "…So you believe Naruto is destined to be the one the Great Lord Elder Toad prophesized about? The one to bring great change to this world, whether it is for good or destruction?"

"I don't know Sensei, but I'm done searching for that person. After the death of Nagato, you just never know who will be the one of prophecy. But something in my gut tells me that Naruto is the one. Minato was a very smart ninja, he wouldn't have risked everything to seal the nine-tails into Naruto unless he knew something that we have missed." Jiraiya said.

"There was something that was missed, read this note." Hiruzen passed the note to Jiraiya. "Minato encountered a person controlling the nine-tails and he claimed his name was Madara Uchiha. My Anbu found the note and very few know of its existence, this note is to be kept as an S class secret. Is that understood?" Hiruzen had a look of worry on his face… If Madara really was the cause there was reason for worry.

* * *

Well guys that was it! How was it? Any ideas? I have so much more to go, I know! You guys haven't even seen the little guy (naruto) yet! But just wait it will be here before you know it!


	2. Chapter 2

Author note: Do you guys like short or long chapters? I will do my best to fulfill whatever you guys want. I hope you like this short chapter. By the way I might push 3 ladies that Naruto might date but in the end it will be one. I'm looking at Anko, Ayame, and Hinata. He will create a relationship with all but in the end it will come down to one. I am looking to my readers to help me make the decision. As of now Hinata is not gonna be that girl. But we will see what you guys think! Enjoy the chapter!

* * *

Chapter 2

"…" = Talking

' ….' = thinking

{…} = Kyubi/Nine-tails talking in Naruto's mind

* * *

1 Week Earlier

Light begins to shine into the room as the figure sleeping in the bed begins to move about. With a sigh and defeated grunt the toddler with bright blonde hair and mystic blue eyes decides that it is time to wake up and crawls out of his bed. He begins to rub his eyes and realizes that something is terribly wrong. His room was clean but there was something more… All his stuff was gone. This wouldn't be the first time for Naruto to have his stuff stolen from his room in the orphanage, but all of it?

Naruto really wanted to get to the bottom of this but he was afraid because he had no friends and all of the workers at the orphanage were always mean to him. When he lost something he normally just let it be because he really didn't have much. He could get new things with the weekly allowance the old man gave him. The only person who cared about him was the Hokage (old man). He wished he could be with the Hokage instead of here. But what he noticed is that the Hokage cared about all his people in the Hidden Leaf Village. It was one of the many reasons Naruto wished to become Hokage, as well as being more respected by the people of the village.

'What would the Hokage do in this situation?' Naruto thought to himself as he sat on the bed. 'He would never be afraid; a leader isn't allowed to be afraid. I have to be strong and confront the person who did this!' Naruto was mentally preparing himself to find whoever did this. He got up off the bed and walked to the door when it suddenly opened. Naruto was pushed down forcibly by the door, as though the person who opened it didn't care what he was pushing the door into.

Naruto began to shed tears but wouldn't cry. 'It hurts but I have to be strong like the Hokage' Naruto thought to himself as he saw the man enter the room with a look of sheer disgust on his face.

"What the hell are you still doing lying down?!" The man yelled in a tone that sent shivers down Naruto's back.

"I'm not lying down; I got pushed down by the door when you opened it. Where did all my stuff go?" Naruto was still too scared to have a demanding tone.

"Get those tears out of your eyes! Demons like you have no reason to cry! As for your stuff, why don't you check outside?" The man said with a look of glee on his face for making the child cry and for what was about to happen.

Naruto got up off the floor and looked at the man. 'It seems safe enough…' Naruto thought to himself, thinking that it may be a trap. Naruto cautiously walked towards the man. When Naruto passed the man he was tripped, grabbed while falling, and thrown into the wall in the hallway out of the door. 'Why am I always treated this way by everyone but grandpa (Hokage)?' Naruto thought to himself as he cried on the floor with blood falling down from his head.

The man picked up Naruto and carried him as he walked down the hallway. "I said no more crying! You are no longer welcome at this orphanage!" The man yelled as he walked to the doors leading outside.

At this point Naruto was bawling and frightened about what was going to happen to him as any other 3 year old would be. He wished he was never born and didn't have to deal with all these people that treated him badly. {Let me out Naruto. Let me take care of this fool for you! He will die before your knees, just after he begs for his life!} A tone of voice that held much bloodlust said in Naruto's mind.

'Who is there?' Naruto said only half-heartedly wanting to know the answer. But there was no answer and Naruto just shook it off. 'It must have been nothing'. Naruto was pulled out of his thoughts when he felt the grip on him loosen. Naruto was happy that he was finally going to be out of the grip of this man. Once he was set free he was going to run and never return to the orphanage. But when he was let go he dropped on the top step of the cement stairs and then kicked down them until he rolled to the bottom of the cement.

There were small streaks of blood where Naruto had rolled down the stairs. The man laughed as he heard Naruto whimper and walked back inside when he deemed that "the show was over".


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After half an hour of lying on the ground crying Naruto got up and dusted himself off. Many people had passed him and just ignored him, laughed at him, or gave him a look of disgust. Naruto looked at his arms that were scraped by the fall and noticed that the cuts were gone and only dry blood remained. In the past he noticed he would heal quicker than others but it wasn't this quick. He decided that it must be that he is lucky. 'Me being lucky… yea right. I guess I have to have luck in some aspect of my life' Naruto thought to himself.

Naruto found the suitcase that the Hokage had given him to store all his stuff. The Hokage had also given it to him so that Naruto could be more organized, although it still didn't work very well. Naruto walked up to his suitcase, wiped the tears from his eyes, and began shuffling through the limited amount of things inside the suitcase. 'Well everything is here…wait' Naruto began searching more frantically and then began searching his pants he was wearing. 'They stole my money that I was supposed to use for the week! How can this day get any worse?' As though the sky heard him, it began to downpour on the toddler.

"No!" Naruto yelled as he began to close his suitcase to protect his clothes from getting soaked by the rain. He ran into the first shop he could find to protect himself from the cold wet rain. When he walked into the shop the lady at the register looked at him and yelled "you aren't allowed in the shop get out now!"

"But it's cold and wet outside; please don't make me go back out there…" Naruto said as he jumped when he heard a roar of thunder outside. Naruto had always been afraid of lightning and thunder because when he was in the orphanage he never had anyone to look after him during thunderstorms. He would normally just hide under his blankets until it stopped or until he fell asleep. He would call his little fort of blankets his submarine. He had to make sure there were no holes in his fort so that he was protected while the storm passed.

The lady got up and saw that he was afraid of the thunder but held no remorse for the demon child. She walked over to Naruto spit in his face and said "That is not my problem; now get out before my husband forces you out!"

Naruto wiped the spit off his face, kicked the lady in the shin, and ran out the door before she could yell to her husband. He ended up having a similar interaction and sometimes even worse in other shops. Half an hour later he was being chased out of a restaurant by a man wielding a pan. He luckily ran far enough out of reach for the man to just give up. At this point Naruto was exhausted, sneezing, and hungry. 'I need to find something to eat, but I've walked for miles and haven't found a place that will let me in.' As he was thinking his nose began to tingle with the smell of a new scent… an amazing scent. He walked towards the direction of where the scent smelt the strongest, until he arrived at a small restaurant that was called Ichiraku Ramen.

Naruto stood outside in the rain while he contemplated going in and seeing if he can get some food. His brain told him no because he didn't want to be chased out or treated wrongly. But Naruto really wasn't feeling well and his stomach was growling very loud. He decided to walk into the bar-like restaurant. When he got in the aroma hit him like a wall of goodness. His mouth salivated as he put his suitcase up against the wall. He looked up and saw a man staring at him. The boy looked up to the man and asked with the most innocent look on his face: "Can I please (ACHO) stay here (ACHO) to get out of the rain?"

Teuchi (Mr. Ichiraku) recognized the boy. He was one of the few that knew who Naruto's real father and mother were. He had known this because he was like a family friend, since Kushina constantly ate ramen at Ichiraku's. "Naruto just wait there" Teuchi said as he went out the back door and around to where Naruto was.

Naruto was curious as to where the man was going and how he knew his name. When he noticed the man walking outside in the rain toward the front of the restaurant he got scared because people only got this close to hurt him. He grabbed his suitcase and was about to take off running when he turned to exit and the man was directly in his path...

Teuchi immediately recognized the Naruto's frightened expression and that Naruto looked like he had a fever from being out in the rain. He didn't want to scare the boy and have him run away and be outside longer. 'Hmmmm I have to do this carefully so he doesn't think I'm here to hurt him.' Teuchi thought to himself. Teuchi knelt down on one knee down to Naruto's level and slowly reached his hand out to Naruto's forehead.

Naruto saw the man move his hand out and immediately flinched expecting to be hit. But when he noticed he could go nowhere he closed his eyes and stood where he was. He felt a hand come onto his forehead gently and then heard the man say: "Hi my name is Teuchi. It looks like you have a fever, how about we clear that up with some ramen!"

Naruto never had someone be so kind to him before, he didn't know what to do. He began to walk toward the wall to put his suitcase back when dots appeared everywhere in his vision and he began to feel nauseous. All the blood felt as though it had left his brain and his body felt like it was going to melt for being too hot. Naruto pale and exhausted fell to his knees and passed out.

Teuchi was worried when he saw Naruto fall. He quickly checked the boy for a pulse and noticed the pulse. But Naruto was burning up and needed to get indoors. Teuchi saw that Naruto's plain white t-shirt was bloody and scratched up but there were no wounds on him. He decided to ask about it later. Teuchi quickly closed the restaurant down, picked up Naruto, and headed to his home.

When Teuchi got home his daughter Ayame, who was just 4 years old, ran up to him and hugged his leg. Ayame has brown hair and brown eyes and is a little taller than Naruto with her being a year older. "Dad who are you carrying and why is he asleep?"She asked.

"Ayame, this is Naruto and he is not feeling very well from being outside too long. I'll be right back, I'm going to change him into dry clothes and cover him up to sleep. Can you please bring me a bowl with cold water and a towel?" Teuchi asked as he headed up the stairs with Naruto in his hands.

"Yes father I'll be up in a second!" Ayame agreed as she went to the kitchen.

Teuchi got Naruto's suitcase and grabbed the only other outfit he had left. It was a beaten up orange t-shirt with smears all over it. Also he found a pair of black gym shorts in the suitcase. Finally he dressed Naruto into dry clothing and tucked him into bed when Ayame came through the door. She was carrying the bowl of water and a towel. "I got what you asked for."

"Thank you honey! Can you take care of Naruto while I go take a shower? When I'm done with the shower you have to take a nap." Teuchi knew his daughter hated naps but they were good for her and would give him time to digest what happened and relax.

"Awe but dad…. I don't need a nap!" Ayame got the eye from Teuchi that told her not to argue with her father. "Okay fine then I'll take care of Naruto and then take a nap."

"Good, thank you!" Teuchi said as he headed toward the bathroom.

Ayame grabbed the towel and began to dunk it into the water. She looked over at the knocked out boy and she wringed out the towel. 'I really like his blonde hair and those little marks on his cheek make him look cute.' She thought to herself as she folded the towel. 'What are those marks on his cheeks, are they drawn on?' She thought curiously as she crawled onto the bed. She crawled up next to Naruto and placed the towel on his head. She then gazed into his face and thought 'Wow he's so peaceful when he sleeps. It's like he's sleeping on clouds. (In fact that was the most comfortable bed he had ever been on.) She returned to her mission and put two fingers on the top of Naruto's cheekbone and slowly dragged her hand down over his marks.

Naruto began to twitch and smile as he felt something tickle the side of his face. He rolled over, still asleep, and grabbed the nearest object to him. In the orphanage Naruto was lonely so he would often cuddle with the extra pillow that he had. Naruto liked the pillow he was holding at the moment though. The pillows at the orphanage had no fluff in them, making them very flat. 'This pillow is perfect, it is solid and warm and nice and and and… breathing?' Naruto's eyes shot open to see Ayame's face bright red and about 3 inches away from his face. "WOA!" Naruto quickly unlatched himself from Ayame and scooted back as far as he could until BANG "Ouch!" Naruto yelped as he had fallen off the bed.

The noise quickly broke Ayame's trance. She quickly got off the bed and ran over to the other side where he was sitting holding his head. "Are you okay, Naruto? Here let me see that as she pointed to the spot he was holding on his head." Curiosity came over Naruto as he obliged and bowed to get his injured head closer for her to look at. Ayame looked at the little bump growing on Naruto's head. "Awe that's going to hurt for a while but you should be okay."Ayame said as she kissed the injury to make it feel better.

Naruto got his first kiss and he loved it! He had seen other kids kissed before by their loved ones but to have it actually happen made Naruto feel like Ayame cared about his condition. He quickly gave Ayame a hug as he blushed because of what had transpired earlier when he thought she was his pillow. "Thank you for being kind to me!" He said with so much happiness in his tone.


	4. Author note very brief but important!

Hey there guys! Hope you guys are enjoying the read! I must state a thank you to Fred for the great advice which i hardly followed. But I made a slight mistake in trying to pump out these chapters. It has been fixed. Chapter 2 begins one week prior to chapter 1. The current chapters 2 and 3 are both a week earlier. I'm working on chapter 4 right now. I will announce at the beginning of the chapter when we are back to Chapter 1's time. Sorry about any confusion.


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Naruto was still looking at the girl that had gotten up on the bed that he was in just moments ago. Something about this girl made him really happy. She was kind, pretty, and she smelt good… kind of like… that food he smelt earlier. "So how do you know my name and who are you?" Naruto finally blurted out to save himself from the silence.

Ayame was transfixed on herself. 'Oh gosh I spent some time at Father's restaurant, and I think I smell like ramen.' She looked up to see Naruto ogling her. She quickly blushed and turned to look back at the bed sheets she was sitting on. 'That boy has the most amazing eyes I've ever seen. I could get lost in his eyes for days. I think I need to ask father if we can keep him.' Lost in her train of thought Ayame was surprised by the sudden burst that came from Naruto. "Oh well my father is the man that brought you here from the restaurant Ichiraku. My father is the man you talked to before you passed out. My name is Ayame Ichiraku, it is nice to finally meet you." The last sentence coming out so fast it almost wasn't audible to the boy but he understood. 'I would extend my hand for greeting but I still smell like ramen and I don't want Naruto to know.' Her thoughts were interrupted by a very loud growl. She looked up to Naruto and was about to speak when he quickly interjected.

"Whoops excuse me… Ayame?" Ayame nodded and Naruto continued on "It's just that you smell like that amazing food I smelt when I met your father before I passed out. It was called ramen right?" Ayame, blushing after being told she smelt good because she smelt like ramen, nodded again. "I wish I had some right now." Naruto said looked up to the ceiling as though sending up a prayer.

"Well when my father comes out of the shower, I'm sure he will fix us up some lunch. It's 2:00pm and I'm starving too. But then after that we have to… we have to…" She looked up at Naruto with a very sad look on her face.

Naruto began to get scared as he remembered all the horrible things that would happen to him at the orphanage. Taking beatings from the workers, thrown around by the workers, along with many other things. Naruto only knowing a life filled with physical and emotional torment thought he was going to have to face more. "I don't want to be hurt anymore… Can I just go one day without being hit? I promise I'm not a demon like everyone says I am; I am a good boy." Naruto was down by Ayame pleading with her to not let him get hurt.

Ayame had never seen a person, especially not a boy her age, so scared in her life. She immediately reacted to the situation that had moved her emotionally and grabbed the boy into a tight hug. "Naruto I would never let anyone hurt you, I'm sorry I didn't mean to scare you so much. I just meant that we have to take a nap after lunch." She said to Naruto as tears streamed down her face. It was hard to think that the boy she was holding had been used to being hurt by others.

Naruto looked up at her and began to laugh while still having teary eyes. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he got up and said "Is that all? Take a nap? I have no problem getting extra sleep, just as long as I can get some of that tasty food first!" Naruto said ecstatically as he thought about the great food he was going to eat.

"Did I hear someone say tasty food? Naruto you are in for a treat!" Teuchi had gotten out of the shower, dressed, and was walking toward the room when he heard them talk about food. "Well I'm going to be in the kitchen, lunch will be ready in an hour and it will be worth the wait!" Teuchi was excited to make ramen at home with his new ramen making kit. But he had heard what else had been said about Naruto being scared of being hurt. Teuchi knew that people didn't like the Jinchuriki but to hurt a small boy was an outrage; especially after Teuchi had to take off the bloody shirt off the boy earlier today.

While Teuchi was making food, Naruto decided to sit back on the bed and think about how good the time was with the Ichirakus. Even the nap that he knew he'd have to take was no big deal considering that the bed is the softest bed he ever felt. And that wasn't it; next to him was a beautiful girl that had a heart of gold. 'Wait speaking of that girl what is she doing?' Naruto looked up to find the girl staring at him, but she immediately looked down when he saw her. Naruto wanted to do something for the next hour but not just sit there and be weird. 'What do girls like to do? Hmmmm maybe they are just like boys. So what do I want to do? I've got the perfect idea!'

Ayame looked back up to see Naruto smiling a devious smile as he looked up at her. "What are you thinking?" She was curious but also worried because of the smile he was giving her. WHAM! Next thing she knew she was being tackled on the bed. Now Ayame was blushing like never before because the boy she thought was cute had just tackled her out of nowhere. 'What is he doing? I can tell he is playing but what is the objective of this game?' Ayame thought to herself. "Naruto what… (struggle) are you… (struggle) trying to do?" Said an out of breath Ayame.

"We're playing…(struggle) Hokage of the bed. In order to win you have to wrestle the opponent until they surrender. Then you become the Hokage of the bed! It is a very fun game… See!" He said that last statement as he continued to wrestle Ayame.

"But Naruto, I don't want to be Hokage and I want to play a different game." As much as Ayame wanted Naruto to be happy, she still didn't have the ability to wrestle very well. She wanted to play a game that would have Naruto and herself on even grounds.

"What the!? You don't want to be Hokage? But why not?" Naruto asked oblivious to Ayame being upset about the question that the he asked.

"Can we not talk about it and play a new game Naruto?" She saw a sad look come across his face and quickly asked "how about we play a game called hide and go seek?

"Okay Ayame but you are it first!" He yelled as he took off running to hide somewhere in the house. "Make sure you count to 100 and no peeking!" Naruto loved this game because he got to know more about the house he was in and because it made him feel like a ninja. Naruto looked around upstairs but couldn't really find any good places to hide up there. So he went to the main level. After a few seconds he decided against it because his stomach would make too much noise from being able to smell the lunch. So his last choice was to go downstairs into the basement. The basement was big and loaded with ramen stuff. Naruto guessed that this was the main area where the restaurant owner made his new recipes. There were so many tools and machines Naruto could hide behind and he was about to until something caught his eye. The basement was just one single room, or so Naruto thought. He saw one door leading to a new room that was closed. Naruto wasn't sure if he should go in but then he heard "Ready or not here I come!" He decided it was now or never and opened the door. He turned on the light and was surprised by what he saw.


	6. Chapter 5: MIA (Missing in Action)

Chapter 5

What Naruto saw was astounding, pictures all over the walls. These pictures were pictures of Ayame, Teuchi, and another woman. This woman was beautiful. So beautiful that it was no wonder Ayame is pretty. 'Wait this must be Ayame's mother…I wonder why I haven't seen her yet.' Taking a longer look around Naruto noticed the whole room was filled with pictures and that she was in every one of them. Sometimes it was just pictures of her. 'This room seems kind of special, maybe I should…' Naruto's train of thought was interrupted by footsteps coming down the stairs.

As Ayame walked down the stairs she saw the door open to the special room. In the door way she noticed Naruto staring up at all the pictures almost lost in a trance. "Naruto?... What are you doing?" She said with a sad look on her face hoping that she wouldn't have to relive the past and tell Naruto.

Naruto looked at Ayame and saw her sad face. He didn't know what to do. He really wanted to know more about the beautiful lady in the picture but he didn't want to intrude. '…hmmmm what to do?' "Ayame… who is that?" Naruto said as he pointed to the nearest picture of the woman.

Ayame walked closer to Naruto with her head down in a defeated look. "That is my mother…" She was having trouble keeping her tears from dripping, but she was able to hold it in. She wished that her father would call the two up for lunch time so she didn't have to talk about what had happened to her mother. But suddenly all that disappeared when two arms wrapped around her in a tight hug.

Naruto didn't know what he was doing but it was as if his body was acting on its own accord. 'Why does it feel like my arms are moving around Ayame by themselves?' Naruto thought to himself. Though he was happy to be holding Ayame and she seemed to be happy that he was. {Don't question why, just be happy you made the girl happy.} Said a voice that Naruto recognized from earlier.

'Hey you are the one that told me you'd kill that man that was being mean to me at the orphanage this morning aren't you? I will never allow you to control me to hurt Ayame! She's a good girl and not someone you can hurt!' Naruto yelled to the other voice. As he was finishing his thought he felt himself pulled into his mindscape (something he didn't understand at the time).

Naruto looked around and noticed lights like candles on the wall to light up the path in front of him. He also noticed he was standing in water like he was in a hallway that was flooded. 'It seems as though the lights lead toward some cage thing. Maybe I should get closer and see what is in that cage.' Naruto began to move toward the cage and found the scariest beast held within it. "Who are you! …Wait.. You are the Nine-tailed demon fox aren't you?" Naruto curiously spoke.

The Nine-tails had a scary look on his face that showed he was not happy by something. Not that Naruto would ever expect that the infamous Nine-tails would ever look happy. But the fox's face had changed at some point when Naruto spoke. The Nine-tails looked at his cage then back at Naruto and spoke. "Boy, I just like you do not like to be called demon! Call me Nine-tails or better yet call me Kurama! If you ever call me demon again you will regret it! …You have some nerve; after I help you make that girl that is precious to you happy." Although Kurama was upset about being called a demon he knew he could never kill Naruto because if Naruto died so would he. Not only that but Kurama is seen as an evil fox but he was being controlled when he attacked the Hidden Leaf. He may have some temper issues but not even he can be evil enough to be mean to the kid who is treated as badly as Naruto is. When Kurama talked to Naruto about killing the employee earlier this morning it was just to protect the boy. Kurama was tired of seeing the boy tormented by others.

Naruto looked at the fox some more. 'I've heard so much about him but he doesn't seem to be the same as what I heard from the Hokage. I heard that the fox was supposed to be crazy, wild, and out for blood. But the fox doesn't seem to be displaying that same ferocity.' Naruto started to believe it was some sort of trap. "Kurama huh? That's a weird name for a Fox… Why do you want to make Ayame happy anyways?" Naruto said thinking about the girl that had become his first friend. The way Naruto's body seemed to move by itself did make Naruto feel like maybe the fox was telling the truth.

"Yes that is my name kid, and as for the girl… I have my reasons. You see I've had to watch over you for the last 3 years… being stuck in this body and all. I've had to watch you suffer from one torture to the next by the people in this village you call home. Though in any other case I wouldn't mind the torment but not with you kid. Call me soft but I am not as evil as others believe that I am. I was controlled by a man called Madara Uchiha… not like you will even remember this talk that well. But yes I'm not the raging monster people believe that I am, and that is why I don't like to be called demon." Kurama said to Naruto. "Well boy it looks like I should let you get back to your moment with the girl. Make sure you treat her well because she is the first person to become your friend. If you ever need to talk just think about it and I'll bring you into the mindscape. Remember I see what you see, so if your ever in danger I will do what I can to help." Kurama implied as he took in air and blew Naruto out of the mindscape.

Naruto was still holding Ayame who was slightly taller than him. Being the young boy that he was, he didn't understand why Ayame was sad and decided to ask her. "Ayame why are you sad does it have to deal with your mother?"

Ayame looked into the face of Naruto and could only see a face that wanted to help. She knew that Naruto only wanted her to be happy and that he'd do anything to make her happy. "Naruto… Thank you for caring so much. I really only ever talk to my dad about my mother but I guess I kind of like that you are so caring and want to know more. My mother… she was a ninja, an amazing ninja. She had great skills in Genjutsu. It was the day before the Nine-tails attacked the village and my mother was on her way back to the village, from a mission with her squad. They were attacked less than 5 miles from the boarder. The bodies of the three other ninja she was with were found, but hers was never found… This is the reason I will never become a ninja or Hokage."

Naruto looked at Ayame and could understand now why she didn't want to become Hokage. But he didn't agree with Ayame about not being a ninja just for that. So he decided to speak his mind to his friend. "But Ayame your mother was given the mission to help our village whether it was for protection or for financial reasons. Doesn't that seem right to you? Your mother was a great person and ninja for going on missions. I'm going to go to the academy to become a ninja because I respect people like your mother and I want to become Hokage! I will never allow death to scare me from protecting those I care about or from reaching my goals. I only have a few people that care about me in this village now… but when I make a name for myself and become Hokage , those people who hate me now will respect me and I will protect them all! Naruto said with a burning passion as he heard from inside his mind {And I will make that goal a reality; even if I have to destroy a few people…}. Naruto cringed at the thought of being one of those people that pissed off Kurama.

Ayame really was hoping that Naruto wouldn't become a ninja but it seemed as though his mind was made up. She wanted to tell Naruto her feeling but she didn't know how to after Naruto felt so strongly about it. "Naruto… I would be very sad if I had to go to your funeral because for your information I was going to ask papa if we could keep you." She said with the most adorable puppy dog face she could make (which she had learned from her Aunt, worked against any man).

'Oh no, why does it feel like I'm being controlled again? Kurama is this your doing?' Naruto asked worriedly. {…Stupid boy.. It's not me, it's the girl she's using an infamous justu called puppy dog eyes no jutsu! But no worries I can snap you out of it by making you watch this…} As Naruto heard the booming voice of Kurama, a memory of Kurama's popped into his mind. The memory showed Kurama tearing a ninja to bits and pieces. Naruto immediately learned right then how to block any communication with the fox, which is what he did. But Naruto had gone pale at watching the brutal massacre. 'Damn that fox was right, that expression Ayame won't affect me for a while now that I saw that…' Naruto thought to himself as he tried to shake the massacre out of his head. "But Ayame I promise that I won't die because I have to fulfill my goal of becoming Hokage first." Naruto said excitedly as he put up the victory sign with his fingers. "Plus if you really want me not to die; how about you join me in the academy and we can protect each other?" Naruto said with a big smile on his face.

Ayame thought about the proposition that Naruto had made to her. She was deathly afraid of ending up like her mother did… but maybe she was more afraid of losing the boy she had just met. She didn't understand why but for some reason she felt so close to Naruto. Part of her knew that she cared so much about Naruto because no one else would and she wanted to protect him from those people. But now it seemed as though the only way she was going to be able to protect Naruto, was if she became a ninja like he did. She really had to think about it though and she had to ask father if she could join the academy. She was about to speak when she heard her father yell… "LUNCH TIME!"


	7. Chapter 6: Bath Time!

Chapter 6

Naruto ran so fast up the stairs he tripped ever other step. His stomach was going nuts with all the aromas he was smelling, on his way up the stairs. Naruto had forgotten about his hunger while he talked to Ayame about her mother. Now he could barely contain his watering mouth as he walked in the kitchen and sat down. He was so excited because he had never smelt anything so good before. He was curious what it was so he decided to ask. "Hey mister what is that really good smell?"

"It's ramen, just like the kind we make at that restaurant you met me at. But this is a very special batch. I only ever make this kind of ramen on very special occasions. Oh and you may call me Teuchi." Teuchi said with a smile. It was the first time he made this meal in a long time…

Naruto immediately knew that his taste buds were in for a treat if this meal was for special occasions. But Naruto was curious about something… "Hey mister Teuchi… what is the special occasion you are talking about?"

Teuchi laughed very hard at the name he was given. "Just Teuchi, Naruto. Well you see there are a lot of special things going on this week. Firstly, you are our first guest in a long time. Secondly, Ayame's birthday is tomorrow. And finally Naruto, I believe your birthday is in one week. And although your birthday correlates with one of the worst disasters in the village's history; you truly did bring happiness to many people's lives." Teuchi had tears coming from his eyes as he remembered all those people: Minato, Kushina, Jiraiya (who was to become the God-father), the third hokage, himself and his wife, along with others.

Ayame face brightened at the thought of her birthday being so close to Naruto's. And now she finally found a way to get what she wanted… 'Yes this is a perfect plan… papa will have to say yes… EEHHHHH!' She yelled in her mind with a look of uncontrollable glee on her face. "Papa you know how I showed you that dress that I really wanted for my birthday?" She waited until he nodded. "Well that's not what I want anymore… You see I found something less expensive and more better!" Teuchi laughed to himself at the grammatical mistake his young daughter made. "What I want… is to keep Naruto! Pleeeeeeeeeease! I will make sure he is always happy in our home and then he will never have to be treated badly. And I'll make sure he is fed well so that he will never go hungry. You'd like that right Naruto?" She looked over at Naruto who had already begun stuffing his face with the food that was set down in front of him. He looked over at Ayame who grimaced when she saw the boy had tons of noodles hanging out from his mouth as though he had been slurping them all up in one fell swoop. He shook his head yes as the noodles hanging out of his mouth sloshed up and down into the bowl. "Oh… MY…GOSH! Naruto where did you learn your manners!? See papa, Naruto needs us to help him as he grows up. Someone needs to be there to teach him manners." Ayame flashed Naruto a disapproving look and then immediately turned to her father to give her best shot at the infamous jutsu…Puppy dog eyes no jutsu.

Teuchi looked from his daughter to Naruto who had a look of pure delight with the new idea; while he was sucking up the rest of his noodles. Teuchi liked the idea but he did find it cute that his daughter was treating the situation like they were getting a new pet. "Ayame Naruto isn't a pet that we just need to feed." Teuchi laughed. "But yes tomorrow I will visit the Hokage and see what we can do with Naruto. I'm not able to make the decision on my own but I will do my best! But for today let's just focus on our plans. I have to head back to the restaurant until close Ayame; Naruto are you feeling better?" Teuchi wanted to make sure Naruto was alright before he left.

Naruto had just finished his third bowl of ramen and was rubbing his full stomach. He had never enjoyed a meal more than the one he had just eaten. After he heard what Teuchi asked he looked over and nodded "Yes I'm feeling great after that food I got!"

"Good Naruto! I want you to watch over Ayame; you will be man of the house while I'm gone." He got a nod from Naruto and he looked over to Ayame. "Honey you are in charge of making sure you both go to bed at 9pm tonight. I won't be home until midnight tonight, but I want you both sound asleep when I get home. Oh yea and Ayame you are also in charge of making sure that Naruto brushes his teeth and takes a bath before bed!" He waited until he got a nod from Ayame and then said: "Well you two I hope you two have fun! Don't rough house too much and try not leaving the house too messy. I will see you both tomorrow!" Teuchi gave a hug both kids and headed out the door in a brisk pace.

Ayame was sad that her father had to leave to go back to work but she was excited to at least not be alone. It was almost 3 pm which meant that they had 6 hours to play and then they'd have to go to bed. They both ran upstairs and then decided to play more hide-and-go seek. They played all sorts of games. Ayame was even nice enough to play the game Naruto wanted to play earlier; Hokage of the bed. Ayame noticed that they both were getting sweaty; after a few hours of games that included wrestling. "Naruto I think it's time we both take baths and get ready for bed. I'm starting to get sweaty and tired. You have way too much energy for me to keep up with you, plus you're starting to smell bad." Ayame said with a smirk. "When was the last time you took a bath?"

Naruto put his head down and smelt himself. He thought he smelt normal. "Bath?... I didn't have baths at my orphanage. They never taught me how to take a bath. I knew other kids did but I didn't. I don't think anyone wanted to teach me how." Naruto said with a sad look on his face.

Ayame couldn't believe it. She took baths every night and was taught how to clean herself by her mother and father. "Naruto I'm sorry. This is why I want you to live with us and have a family. Tonight I will teach you how to take a bath and clean yourself. Do you have a bathing suit?" She asked with a slight blush.

"No I don't have one of those. Can we take one together? I don't like water that much." Naruto said truthfully.

Ayame didn't know anything about the birds and the bees. But she was old enough to know that normally boys and girls didn't take baths together. But this could be an exception because he was both afraid and didn't know how to clean himself. "Well I guess we can Naruto." Ayame said with a blush. "I'll go grab my bathing suit. You go to the bathroom upstairs and start filling up the tub with warm water."

Naruto was nervous about being in a tub filled with water but was happy that Ayame accepted his offer. "Okay!" He said excitedly as he ran up the stairs and into the bathroom. When he got into the bathroom he saw the tub… It was a huge tub. (Similar to a hot tub size) "Wow you could fit 4 of Teuchi in this tub; with room to spare!" He began to fill the water in the tub. 'Warm water…? Psh, no way I want it hot!' He smiled victoriously as the tub water got hotter and hotter. After a few minutes the tub was full and steaming with blistering hot water. Naruto began to take off his clothes. When he was finished he put his hand in the water. When he pulled out his hand, it was red. "Oh yea this is the perfect water temp!" Naruto yelled. As he yelled this the bathroom door opened.

Ayame had gotten dressed up in her matching yellow top and bottom. Teuchi had gotten the swim suit a month ago for Ayame. She loved it so much. She thought it looked beautiful. It had little dazzling pink and purple flowers on it. It had been five minutes since she had told Naruto to go to the bathroom and fill up the tub. But although the bathing suit looked great in her opinion it wasn't enough. She decided to fix her hair. She knew it was funny because her hair was about to get wet in the bath. But she thought Naruto was handsome and she wanted him to think she was pretty too. She finally finished up and headed to the bathroom.

Ayame was daydreaming about how Naruto would react when he saw her. That is when she opened the door and her mouth dropped by what she saw. She saw a fully naked Naruto facing her. "NARUTO! You need to learn your manners! Now get in the bath!" She yelled blushing furiously. She turned around, facing the door, until she heard Naruto get into the bath. "That's better Naruto! Now let's take a bath." She smiled as she got into the bath tub. "Ouch! Naruto why did you make this bath so hot?" She asked as her skin got red.

"I'm sorry Ayame. I didn't think that it was that hot. How about we make a deal, next time you get to fill it up with the water temperature you want." Naruto said with a grin on his face. Then he began splashing Ayame with water. "Water war!"

"NARUTO! Noooo the water is too hot!" She laughed as she splashed him back. After playing games in the tub Ayame decided that it was time to teach Naruto how to clean himself in the tub. "Alright Naruto, are you ready to learn how to take a bath" She said as she laughed thinking how funny it was that he didn't know how.

Naruto shook his head yes, wildly. He was having so much fun in the tub. But he was still confused why Ayame's cheeks continuously got red, when she looked down at him. It seemed as though she was looking under the water at his legs. 'That's weird my legs look the same as hers… Hey Fluffy…(Naruto trying out a new name he made for Kurama) is the water so hot it's making her cheeks red? And why does she keep looking underwater at my legs?'

Kurama wasn't a huge fan of the name but he didn't mind that Naruto called him that. But he thought it was hysterical that Naruto had asked him that question. 'Hahaha. Oh kid if only I could tell you, maybe when you are older. And kid, when a girl's cheeks turn red like that; it normally means they like the boy that they are near or thinking about.'

'But Fluffy… I like her too. She is nice to me and my first friend. And she said that she wants to keep me. That way I can have my own family.' Naruto said to Kurama with a smile.

'Ugh kid… it's like you want to be owned. Never mind about the girl liking you. I will teach you more about that later. But you have a family and for now that is me. I'll watch over you little guy. She would make a nice family though…' Kurama said as he broke out laughing. Naruto was confused as to why the fox was laughing after he said that but decided to let it go.

"Come here Naruto and I will help you." Ayame said with another blush as Naruto stood up and sat down on her lap. 'Oh my gosh, he is so cute. And he is staring at me with those big blue eyes of his.' She tried to calm herself down as she grabbed some soap. "Alright Naruto, it is pretty easy. You just take this soap, pour it in your hand, and then rub it all over your body like this." Ayame dodged rubbing Naruto's privates and his back side. "And then you just plop back in the water and make sure all the suds go in the water. Next you grab the shampoo." She commanded as she grabbed the shampoo. "And you rub it in your hair like this. Now you have to get it out of your hair by dunking your head under water. Then last but not least you use this stuff." She said as she pointed to a different bottle. "It's called conditioner and it makes your hair soft. Remember shampoo then conditioner." Naruto nodded his head in agreement as Ayame put the conditioner in his hair. Naruto then dunked his head one last time to get the conditioner out of his hair.

After another 30 minutes of play and Ayame cleaning herself (as best as she could with a swim suit on) they finally got out of the bath and dried off. Naruto got dressed into some pajamas that he had hidden in a secret compartment of his suit case. They were a matching top and bottom that were orange and had little green dinosaurs on them. They were a gift from the Hokage and they were the softest pajamas you could find. Ayame normally didn't like orange but she thought it fit Naruto well. And she liked the color more because she could tell that it was his favorite.

Ayame quickly got dressed into her yellow pajama shirt that said girlz rule! And put on purple short shorts. She looked at the clock and noticed that it was one more hour until they had to go to bed. "Come Naruto lets watch a movie in my room." She suggested as she grabbed Naruto's hand and led him to her room. Naruto was surprised when he got to her room and saw a big television hanging on the wall. The bed was a big one and it was perfectly set so that she could fall asleep while watching her favorite shows and movies. Naruto jumped on the bed to see that it was just as fluffy and soft as the one he had slept in when he first arrived there. "Wow your room is so nice Ayame!" Naruto looked around the room to find it organized and clean too. "What movie are we going to watch?" Naruto asked the girl as she came up on the bed with a box filled with movies.

"Hmmmm well I like romance movies." She declared with a slight blush.

"Can we watch something with ninjas fighting?" Naruto asked not knowing what romance was.

Ayame looked through her stash of movies and pulled one out. She walked over and put the movie in. "This one is perfect, it has what we both want. It's about a ninja who fights off enemies to protect those he cares about, especially the woman that he loves." She said as she crawled back into bed. She dug her way underneath all the covers and then lifted them up and motioned for Naruto to come. Naruto obliged and slipped under the covers next to his new friend.


End file.
